Search This Blog

ASB Premiership Week 8

At the
beginning of the season I was a bit concerned about the choice of
teams for TV games, especially with WaiBOP getting so many, I know
this was down to cost a its easier for Sky to get down to Hamilton
than Napier, but WaiBOP's record in previous years wasn't great but
at this year at they have been plenty of goals when they have been on
TV. Their 3-0 win over Southern meaning there has been 29 goals
scored in the 8 games they have played so far.

The hapless Southern United again struggling to score and have only
scored 5 this season, at least they have another 6 games to beat the
record low goals scored in the National League of 6 (incidentally by
another Dunedin club, Caversham in 1973).

Sunday's
teams saw what could likely be the semi finals with the top 4 teams
playing each other. In Christchurch, Hawke's Bay United inflicted
Canterbury United's first home defeat of the season with a 3-1 win.

Game of
the round was at Dave Farrington Park in Wellington between Team
Wellington & Auckland City. 4 goals, 2 bookings, 2 penalties &
that was just the first 23 minutes! No goals were added after this,
however there was another penalty, which was saved by Auckland City substitute keeper Danyon Drake as Jacob Spoonley was sent off. A
pulsating game from the 2 Oceania Champions League representatives
and one that makes you wonder what they were thinking when they
deemed it to be a non TV game!

The TV
game was Waitakere United v Wellington Phoenix at the shockingly
awful QBE stadium. It has got better since the start of the season,
at least they don't have to spray paint it green now but it is still
a disgrace. The fact that the pitch is being used for a women's Olympic qualifying international on the 26th is an embarrassment.

The game
ended 4-1 to Waitakere, the Weenix weakened by the big team playing
in Newcastle that night. Last season I thought the Weenix was a good
addition to the ASB Premiership but it was more of a reserve team,
this season it is an academy team and I'm not so sure it's a good
thing (but this is probably the start of another blog post)

So here
are the highlights

Goal of
the week – Ryan Tinsley's 1st for Canterbury was the
100th this season in the ASB Premiership, but the goal of
the week goes to Sean Lovemore for his cracking effort just before
half time to make it 2-1 (also the Weenix should be worried as it
started from their throw-in by the Waitakere corner flag!)

Beer
League

WaiBOP
United 2 Southern United 3

WaiBOP
United

Mata Dark Knight Chocolate Porter (5%)

Have you
ever tried Whittakers Dark Ghana Chocolate with 70% Cocoa? Well if
you have and then imagine a liquid version of it you have Aotearoa
Breweries Mata Dark Knight Chocolate Porter. Very pleasant to drink
with a slight roasted coffee aftertaste

Southern
United

Beltane Victoria's Imperial Porter (8.5%)

While
there are a lot of breweries in the Southern part of New Zealand, the Wellington
supermarkets seem to only have Emerson's or Queenstown Breweries
stocked, not that there is anything wrong with this but I have been
trying to use a different brewery every time. So I was pleased when I
discovered this beer from the relatively new Beltane Brewery based
in Tapanui. I wasn't so pleased when I discovered it was a limited
edition (bottle 155 of 600) and it cost $16.49 for a 330ml bottle!
But it as described as a Chocolate Orange Ale and that seemed quite
interesting so I decided to buy it. It was very interesting, quite a
complex beer with definite Chocolate and Orange flavours hitting you
first before more subtle maltiness and the classic Porter roasted
coffee aftertaste

Waitakere
United 4 Wellington Phoenix 5

Waitakere
United

8 Wired Tall Poppy India Red Ale (7%)

Waitakere
have made several transfers during the break so I decided to go with
a beer that has recently transferred to Auckland (well Warkworth). 8
Wired originally started in Blenheim when brewer Soren Eriksen was
working for Renaissance and started making his own beer. He has gone
on to win awards including Champion NZ brewery in 2011 and in 2015,
helped by winning $160 000 from professional poker tournaments he set
up his own brewery in Warkworth.The Tall
Poppy is a big malty ale nicely balanced with a sniff of grapefruit and pine and refreshing hoppy taste.

Wellington
Phoenix

Fork Brewing Godzone Beat Champion Pale Ale (5.9%)

A new
beer! Well no. Fork Brewing is based in the Fork & Brewer pub in
Wellington's Bond Street and has been brewing beer there since 2006.
Only now they have now put some of it in bottles.This
Pale Ale is fruity with Lychee and orange aroma's and flavours coming
through with a dry hoppy, slightly bitter aftertaste. A very smooth
beer